How I feel when acne's got me down...

My family was born with acne loving skin. Before I knew it was bad for you, I grew up popping zits, living on pimple cream, and washing my face all the time. Neutrogena, Oxy, Clearasil were some of the most well known brands in our house, that’s not including the countless antibiotic and other medications that peppered our medicine cabinet.

In looking back, and dealing with adult acne, I did some research on the meds that we apply and take for acne. You’ve already read up on how not to overcleanse oily skin etc., but do you know how the popular acne medications out their work?

Benzoyl Peroxide: Kills Bacteria: Mild to Moderate Acne

Works by introducing oxygen to P. acnes, one of the main acne-causing bacteria that will die with oxygen exposure, and by removing dead skin cells and sebum, helping to keep your pores clean and prevent further acne breakouts.

Most recommend that one starts with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, and if your acne doesn’t clear up, to move to a higher percentage. However, that could mean more drying and flaky skin. Don’t forget, it can bleach your hair and clothing!

Salicylic Acid: Peeling Agent

Did you know that Salicylic Acid does not kill bacteria? Topical salicylic acid treats acne by reducing swelling and redness and unplugging blocked skin pores to allow pimples to shrink. Tip: Don’t use on damaged, irritated, sunburned, or broken skin!

Tea Tree Oil: Natural Anti-bacterial and Anti-fungal: Mild to Moderate Acne

Found to have fewer side effects than Benzoyl Peroxide at similar percentage use (5%), but may take longer to work as well. May also be less effective than Benzoyl Peroxide. If you buy the pure oil, be sure to dilute – 5% solution is 95 parts water, 5 parts tea tree oil. If you don’t dilute – you can get side effects like itching, burning, and irritated skin. Not fun if you’re stressing dealing with acne already!

Stronger Medications

If those over-the-counter medications don’t work, as they didn’t in my case, then you move on to prescription anti-bacterial medications to apply to skin or take as pills. Beyond that (and hopefully you don’t end up here because we all know how fun it is to be plagued by acne), there are topical and oral retinoids or diluted steroid injections. Topical retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) work to unclog pores and prevent whiteheads and blackheads from forming, but these can make one sun-sensitive or have extremely dry skin, bright side- they can also help with wrinkles. (But if I have wrinkles and crazy acne -I will be one unhappy lady). Oral retinoids do the same, but can also cause birth defects.

But thinking back, I guess the journey makes the woman! Maybe that’s looking at the glass half full, but having acne definitely made me appreciate inner beauty more and the strength of nature and genetics. My good friend used to always get a big red pimple in the middle of her nose – kudos to her for living through all her Rudolf moments…Mine were not so poetic, but it’s definitely humbling to have acne in your 30s and count more than the fingers on our hands.

Tell me about your worst acne experience…always good to commiserate!

What makes adult acne tricky is that the skin of a person in his/ her 30s or 40s is different from teenage skin.  Some adults may not even have really oily skin, their skin might be more sensitive, and they may also be very concerned about fighting aging in their skin.

So while we certainly know how to fight blemishes with over-the-counter acne products we get at the drugstore (medicated cleansers, purifying masks, salicylic acid creams, benzoyl peroxide spot treatments, etc.) the challenge with adult acne is how to most effectively treat the blemishes while respecting more mature skin, and just as important, help it look and feel young. 

Here are some tips how to approach adult acne with a skincare program.

First of all:  If you have persistent pimples or inflamed cysts, you should see a dermatologist as soon as possible to avoid scarring and further damage to the skin.  Severe acne is a medical condition that needs to be treated with prescription ingredients like retinoic acid (e.g. Retin-A, Tazorac).  For blemish-prone skin and occasional break-outs, a good skincare program and over-the-counter products usually bring significant improvement:

Cleansers:  Keep it simple and gentle

Contrary to a stubborn myth, acne is NOT caused by dirty skin, so stay away from harsh cleansers.  Also, if your skin is dry and sensitive, skip the medicated cleanser and stick with a simple, gentle, sulfate-free cleanser that will cleanse thoroughly but won’t strip.  No matter how convincingly medicated acne cleansers promise not to dry out your skin, I find that they do and that the subsequent dehydration exacerbates the appearance of roughness, lines and wrinkles.

Exfoliate in moderation

Freeing skin of dead skin cells that can clog pores is crucial in preventing blemishes from forming.  Gentleness and moderation are key.  Exfoliate no more than 2-3 times a week.  If you have sensitive skin, no more than once a week.  Choose scrubs with perfectly round exfoliating beads or alternatively, if your skin is not overly sensitive, alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy peels.  However, if your issue is not occasional blemishes but inflamed acne pimples and lesions, stay away from scrubs altogether.  Scrubs can further exacerbate the inflammation of the skin and spread the bacteria.

Hydrate without oil

It’s tempting to not moisturize when you see pimples, but it’s important to keep skin hydrated, no matter what your skin type, even if you have break-outs.  If you are concerned about clogging pores, choose an oil-free moisturizer that hydrates with hyaluronic acid.  This wonder-ingredient draws vital hydration to the skin without overwhelming with oil, plumping lines and making  skin supple.

Spot treat – in more ways than one

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are proven pimple-fighters, so use them for targeted spot treatments on clean skin before you put on moisturizer or sunscreen.  At the same time, do spot-treat age-prone areas or dry areas unaffected by pimples, with products that are more emollient or more concentrated.  Examples are the eye area, the area around the lips, forehead, etc.  This way, you can effectively combine your acne treatment and anti-aging treatment.

Protect from the sun

A tan may make pimples look less prominent, but there is actually no clinical evidence that sun exposure helps acne.  Unprotected sun exposure does raise the risk of skin cancer and premature aging the sun damages.  Plus, many acne treatments make skin more sensitive to sun light.  Therefore, apply a sunscreen of at least SPF15 daily that is oil-free and light in texture.

Green tea extract – a super multi-tasker?

While green tea extract has been clinically proven to have great anti-aging, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, recent research suggests that it also has anti-bacterial properties comparable to benzoyl peroxide without the common side effects.  While more research needs to be done to prove this effect, this is still promising news for people with sensitive skin and adult acne. 

High-tech gadgets

For high-tech lovers, a few electronic devices have popped up on the market that promise to quickly clear up pimples, such as Zeno’s Pro Acne Clearing Device ($185), a battery-powered medical device to treat inflamed acne pimples.  It delivers a targeted dose of heat to the acne pimple, which kills the bacteria and is said to significantly clear the pimple within 24 hours.  Sounds like the perfect solution! 

At the end of the day, there is no one magic bullet for adult acne, but rather, a multi-pronged approach involving gentle and multi-tasking products, targeted medicated treatments and a balanced life-style.

What is your secret to fighting break-outs?  Let us know!

Donna Kraft with her mother Jewell Blanken

Donna, Jewell and their entire family

How did you celebrate this year?

Join JUARA Founders Metta, Yoshiko & Jill as they explain this year’s Mother’s Day special! PLUS, a special guest appearance from the newest JUARA Girl, Yoshiko’s baby girl Asami!

Buy the set here!

What supplements are good for new moms?

If you are a new mom like me, you probably read up a ton on nutrition during pregnancy and took your prenatal vitamin religiously.  What happens after the baby is born?  All of a sudden, you are completely overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to take care of an infant.  Equally important, however, is how to take care of your own health and your body’s healing process after the stress of pregnancy and labor.   Eating balanced meals and exercising is very important but what about supplements?  I asked my friend Douglas Taurel, NYC based personal trainer and Charles Poloquin Bio-Signature coach (and also new father to an adorable, healthy 9 month-old boy) about what he recommended:

“The most important supplement I believe through experience and training that pregnant women and new moms should supplement with is Fish Oil. I suggest it to all my clients, women, men, pregnant and golden age that they should supplement with fish oil.  Omega 3 is what we are after.”  Aha!  Here it is again, Omega 3 – remember how we were told during pregnancy to take lots of Omega 3!  Douglas gave me a whole list of benefits, which made me run to the vitamin shop to get some.  As Douglas explained, women should be close to pre-pregnancy about 12 weeks after giving birth.  Omega 3 fish oil can help because it helps the body burn more fat AND it actually reduces the body’s tendency to store fat.  In addition, Omega 3 increases Serotonin in the brain which is a very strong antidepressant and helps with anxiety, panic attacks and reduces carbohydrate cravings – very important for those experiencing the postpartum depression.  It helps reduce inflammation in the body, obviously very important in the body’s healing process after pregnancy.  Omega 3 also assists the body in putting on muscle, so if you’re breastfeeding, upping your Omega 3 intake will help your baby grow stronger and healthier.

Motherhood can be crazy, especially if you are also working, but no matter how chaotic the day gets, I stick to my supplements:  a good multivitamin, extra fish oil for Omega 3 and calcium.  Thanks Douglas!  (Check out www.taurelfitness.com)

What seed am I?

Metta came back from Expo West natural trade show with promises of improving our nutritional health and renewed vigor to turn a “pretty healthy” diet into “Healthy!” One of the healthy additives that she’s been raving about is Chia seeds, which I’ve been eyeing at the health food stores with a personal interest to try once my flaxseeds are used up. I currently add a tablespoonish of golden flaxseeds (I heard, though unconfirmed, that golden has more vitamins than red) to my almost daily smoothie. I experiment a bit, but it’s more a healthy smoothie of convenience consisting of Scobie Bryant’s (my Kombucha’s nickname) miracle tea, an apple (skin included), frozen berries if no other fresh fruits of the season are gracing my kitchen, yogurt/milk if available and it cuts the light vinegar taste of the Kombucha, and that tablespoonish of flaxseeds. But let’s get back into the ring…

FLAX SEEDS: high in Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and antioxidants, B vitamins, and fiber, minerals: folate, manganese, magnesium, copper, etc.

I use whole flaxseeds because they can be stored up to a year whereas flaxseed meal can only last up to a week at room temperature because the unsaturated oils can go rancid easily. But I grind the flaxseeds before using them because that releases the goodies. Toasting flaxseeds is helpful too because it breaks down the small amounts of natural cyanide in them (also found in cashews and some beans). And according to US agencies and research, the recommended safe dose is anywhere from 2-6 tabespoons a day. Just don’t go overboard as both of these are high in fiber! If you’re a fan of the oil, just remember it does not contain the phytochemical antioxidants or the fiber.

CHIA SEEDS: high in soluble fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, minerals: potassium, calcium, amino acids

The soluble fiber in gluten-free chia seeds is so evident that if you mix up a cup of water and tablespoon of powder, you can get a  gel in half an hour! That’s great for controlling food intake, carbohydrate to sugar absorption conversion, and diabetics where blood sugar level is particularly important. Plus chia seeds help keep you hydrated because they absorb water (a must for healthy skin and inner body health/healing). More than 20% protein, chia seeds are filled with a good mix of essential amino acids that your body doesn’t naturally make. Recommended dosage varies, but 3 tablespoons, 3 times a day is commonly recommended. Excellent place to purchase online: http://salba.com

Incidentally, a great website for checking out nutrition data is www.nutritiondata.com. It covers everything and has useful tables and comparisons.

So the winner? Undeclared. After researching both of these, I’d love to incorporate both; they serve different purposes and complement each other well. So my future smoothies will have both… It’s a win win for everyone.

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE  SURVEY.

It takes less than 5 minutes to fill, and we will draw a random winner in 2 weeks.

MARCH MONTHLY SPECIAL: SAVE 15%. Normally $81, this kit is specially-priced at $70 for this month only! Naturally balance and prep your model-soft skin at a great value! JUARA’s Rice Facial Cleanser & Scrub + Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner work together to give you super smooth, and oh-so-touchable skin, while hydrating and preparing it for a day’s make-up or working with your body for a restoring night’s rest. JUARA’s best kept secret!

100% VEGETARIAN, PARABEN-FREE, SULFATE-FREE, NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS.

But in considering the pervasiveness of paper in life, and trying to be responsible about the use of paper, we find that the challenge is to always challenge ourselves. We’re constantly finding new ways to improve our use of paper: streamlining, changing processes, etc. And learning where paper comes from and where it goes is important too in making that decision. What does recycling really mean? Is it better to use paper from a well managed forest or a recycling plant? Does recycled paper use more energy to create? What are the standards of recycling, etc.

Although this is a topic that a blog can barely cover, I did want to share a few facts. Did you know that paper recycling results in an energy savings of 40% (aluminum is 95%!) and an air pollution savings of 70%? Paper can only be recycled up to about 6 times, after which the fibers become too short to produce quality paper. (Metals and glass can be almost infinitely recycled). Much of the waste paper that is produced in recycling is actually shipped to India to be recycled, then shipped back… And there’s so much more to learn and understand…but it’s Friday night and my attention is waning.  If you know more about paper and trees and considerations about their usage, please share!

Check out MARCH’s monthly special here! We had a blast making the video – I think we had about 3 minutes of battery life on my camera, and Jill and I were totally late for a dinner engagement, but all we can say is after this shoot, we had reeeaalllyyyy clean skin… Hope you enjoy!  I really love the Rice Facial Scrub myself… Big time.

Although we had all grown up drinking different types of tea, few of us knew much about tea beyond the fact that it can have caffeine and has healthy antioxidants that help skin and body fight age-inducing free radicals. We’ve also all heard that tea can prevent cancer, calm the stomach, improve immune function, decrease cardiovascular risk, etc.

But did you know that tea comes from only 1 plant – the Camellia sinensis plant and that the different types of tea: White, Green, Black, Pu-erh, and Oolong differ based on the amount and type of processing each tea undergoes? All “teas” that come from other plants are “herbal teas” – but tasty nonetheless. Examples of the different types of teas:

• White (air dried buds, natural oxidation): Silver needle
• Green (air dried leaves processed by steam or wok-fire, natural oxidation): Hojicha, High mountain tea
• Black (rolled leaves, fully oxidized): Keemun, Darjeeling, Pekoe, Ceylon, Breakfast
• Oolong (partially oxidized by baking for different flavors): Tie Guan Yin, Oolong
• Pu-erh (cave-aged large-leaf, better with time, classified by age and region – like wine!): sheng (green/raw) types, shu (ripened/cooked)

Something new I learned recently, the caffeine in tea doesn’t create that “crash” that so often happens with other caffeinated beverages, it’s a smooth and energy lifting awareness. Something I’ve experienced, but never realized. Also, I’ve always heard that green tea has more caffeine than coffee, but I didn’t realize that a typical serving has far less caffeine because tea is brewed more “weakly” than coffee.  Plus, color is NOT an indicator for caffeine content.

Other fun facts: you can brew tea with the same tea leaves multiple times, just add hot water. If you like it sweet, add agave or honey instead of sugar. Agave doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels (thus preventing the sugar high and crash) and honey is naturally immune-boosting. No milk? Try soy milk. And sometimes, when I’m tired of the millions of teas we have in our cupboard, I mix teas. Chai with herbal mint tea. Herbal antioxidant Rooibos with black tea. Choco-mint with Thai Chai. So let’s drink to your health!